first to the chief fox correspondent at the united nations this afternoon. it seems there is a battle for a capital city that could be shaping up and that is crucially important. >>jonathan: yes. there is no doubt we have entered a new and very significant stage in the battle for syria and that is in essence of battle for the capital of damascus which has been going on for five or six days. president bashar al-assad wants do and indeed has to hang on to the capital if he is to stay in power. there are many experts who believe either way, he has decided to fight to the death. either if he tries to flow he will be killed by his own supporters who will feel betrayed him him or ultimately he will be killed by the rebels. this, while it does seem to be the end days for the bashar al-assad regime, it could yet stretch on for some days or even weeks. that because the rebels simply are not strong enough to defeat the syrian security forces in one battle. what we are seeing is an intense battle of attrition. most experts will tell you, his days are numbered. >> the b